Alternate Tower Spotlight: The Florida Tower of Terror--Introduction, Sunset Boulevard, and the Hotel Grounds

Orlando, 2017.

Photo taken July 3, 2017

Amid the searing heat and suffocating humidity of Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror remained an iconic attraction.  Twenty-three years after it first opened its doors, it continued to delight the thrill-seeking public.  But now, something could happen to change all of that--namely, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.

As of the time of this writing, no official announcements were made concerning the closure of the Florida Tower.  In fact, a GOTG-themed attraction was officially confirmed for Epcot at D23.  However, the conversion of the California version, and the probable similar fate of the Paris version (given that Disney Paris officially announced they were adding Marvel to their parks) were enough to make me (and likely other Tower fans) worry about the fate of the last Twilight Zone version of the ride.  Thanks to an immense amount of luck, I was able to visit Walt Disney World during the last week of June and the first few days into July, and decided to take as many pictures and video as I could... you know, just in case.

Therefore, since I may as well share this information with my fellow fans, here begins my walkthrough of the original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

The official attraction poster for the Florida Tower of Terror, as displayed on a Star Wars Land construction wall at Disney's Hollywood Studios, June 2017.  Personally, I think Florida got the worst poster; it looks nothing like the actual ride!

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Note that this primarily covers the Tower as it appeared in June-July 2017.  In its 23 years of existence, the Florida Tower went through a variety of upgrades and alterations, thus making a single "ideal" walkthrough for the entirety of the ride's history not really possible.  Furthermore, not being from Florida, I was only able to visit Walt Disney World sporadically over the years, and thus can't say what previous versions of the ride were really like (I got to ride it as Tower 3/"Fear Every Drop" in 2002 as well as its Tower 4/"Never the Same Fear Twice" current version, if you're wondering which versions I did get to experience).

For a proper explanation about the history of its concept and the development of the ride, including explanations of the four different versions of this Tower, I highly suggest you watch Martin Smith's WDW Tower documentary.

Furthermore, despite the Tower remaining very much operational and in excellent shape at the time of this writing, I will continue to phrase my posts in the past tense for consistency.

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As guests entered Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney's MGM Studios), they found themselves plunged into the sharp art deco world of golden-age Hollywood.

June 2017

Although Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS for short) did not follow the strict hub-and-spoke layout used by other Disney parks, it did have Hollywood Boulevard as its entry thoroughfare.  It welcomed guests into a bright, idealized version of Hollywood, with a replica of the Chinese Theater anchoring the end of the street.  Relaxing vintage tunes drifted through the air and added to the almost dreamlike atmosphere.

July 2017

Farther down the street, before the Chinese Theater, guests encountered an intersection with a new themed street.  On the corner of the intersection was a fountain with a trolley stop for a fictional red streetcar.

July 2017

Turning right at that corner, one encountered another street of glittering vintage Hollywood: Sunset Boulevard.

Turning on to Sunset Boulevard.  July 2017

As guests rounded the turn in the street, the view revealed the anchoring attraction of this "land": nothing other than the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

July 2017

The "Sunset Boulevard" land provided a plethora of detail for guests to encounter if they took the time to explore.

There was little doubt as to what era in which Sunset Boulevard took place.  Every clue pointed to it being the 1940s, from the area music loop to the architecture to the vehicles and decorative display windows.  Furthermore, fake mailboxes imploring people to buy war bonds and a victory garden by the food court section reinforced the setting.

June 2017

July 2017

"But what about Rock n' Roller Coaster, Sunset Boulevard's other major ride?" one might ask, "That clearly doesn't take place in the 1940s!"

True, it doesn't.  I do have an explanation for Rock n' Roller Coaster, which I will address later.  However, I feel very confident in placing Sunset Boulevard in the 1940s.

Sunset was a richly themed area that told the story of an expanding movie town coming into its own...and with a dark side everyone ignored.  While gleaming art deco made up most of the street's architecture, its food court area still carried a more rustic agricultural theme, signaling the continuing growth of the city.  Near the start of the street, an old billboard advertised the area's highly anticipated (both in and out of story) attraction: the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

July 2017

The billboard read:

Our City's Newest Landmark

The Hollywood Tower Hotel

featuring

Fashionable Dining   Modern Accommodations

"Where the stars stay and play"

While the faded and worn down appearance of this billboard could be the result of years exposed to the intense Floridian elements, the decay also certainly works in-universe, given the state of the "actual" hotel at the end of the street.  Personally, I think at least some of the wear was intentional.  Although in-story the hotel disaster and the "current day" 1940s were only a few years apart, other evidence in the Sunset Boulevard area suggested that the Hollywood Tower was something the residents intentionally ignored or tried not to think about, and thus would likewise ignore the billboard.  A few years might not be enough to wear down a sign quite this much, but the Southern California sun can sometimes fade things quickly...perhaps even more so when supernatural elements are at work.

The physical surface of the street itself provided a story as one walked closer to the Tower.  Amid the bustling agricultural market and brilliantly expanding city, literal cracks appeared.  Specifically, the road surface cracked to reveal under-layers of brick and old metal trolley tracks.

Two photos of different worn-away sections in the road.  These were actually taken as I was leaving the Tower, facing towards the entrance of the street.  July 2017

Notably, these cracks were entirely for world-building and show, and they implied quite a bit about the setting.  Although it may be hard to tell from these photos alone, in person one could infer that the trolley once took guests straight to the hotel.  The hotel must certainly have been popular to warrant its own trolley stop!  The fact that the tracks were paved over showed quite pointedly that people didn't go there anymore, and possibly actively avoided the place.  After all, Sunset Boulevard showed a bright, hopeful, growing city...that seemingly was doing its best to ignore the ominous reminder of disaster looming over the end of the street.

Being a fan of Disney's California Adventure, I found the trolley tracks interesting for another reason; namely, that DCA added an actual working trolley that had a stop in front of its version of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.  I can't help but wonder if the decision to include a trolley stop at the DCA Tower was some sort of homage to this original version, and if so what implication the working trolley had, given the story told by Florida's abandoned tracks.

At the end of the street near the cracking pavement, on the corner by the food court, there was another little Easter egg: a construction stamp in the concrete reading "Mortimer & Co. 1928."  This is likely a reference to Mickey Mouse's original planned name being Mortimer, and Steamboat Willie premiering in 1928.  This didn't necessarily have anything to do with The Twilight Zone or the Tower, but it was a nice little detail that added depth to Sunset Boulevard and rewarded guests who take time to enjoy its carefully crafted atmosphere. Details like this showed the care and planning that had gone into this area.

July 2017

Now, at this point in the walkthrough, we're at the end of the street, at the border of the hotel grounds proper.  Before we step forward, though, I feel I must direct attention to the left side of the street and address that timeline inconsistency I mentioned earlier: Rock n' Roller Coaster.  Note that this goes slightly on a tangent, so if you aren't so interested in the design of Sunset Boulevard or want to stick strictly to Tower-related stuff, feel free to skip the following blue text.

Now, I argued that all evidence points to Sunset Boulevard taking place in the 1940s.  Of course, Rock n' Roller Coaster (henceforth "Rockin'" for short) clearly did not take place in the 40s... indeed, given the styling, attitude, and the appearances of the members of Aerosmith, Rockin' could only take place in the era in which it was designed and constructed: the late 1990s.

Rockin' was not an original part of the Sunset Boulevard area; the land opened alongside the Tower of Terror in 1994, while Rockin' opened in 1999.  Indeed, the roller coaster ignored the crafted atmosphere of the land and instead went for its own tone, centering around a "hip", "edgy" 1990s-ish attitude, famous faces, and lots of music.  As much as I loathe to say this about one of my favorite roller coasters, I can't deny that its tone and place in the land are not unlike, well...

...yeah.
(photo by Mrbellcaptain)

BUT, there was a major difference between how the land/attraction inconsistencies were handled for Rockin' and Mission Breakout, and it definitely showed.  Namely, whereas Breakout's tall profile, which was visible from most of its park, screamed "theme discontinuity" from every angle, Rockin' purposely kept a low profile.  For a headlining "E-ticket" attraction, it was almost hidden within Sunset Boulevard.  Here's my overall picture of the street again.  There's no sign that Rockin' was even there!

July 2017

Indeed, one couldn't even catch a glimpse of the ride until they were practically entering its gates!

Barely a peek at Rockin while turning around the corner by the food court, July 2017

As for Rockin's entry gates themselves, they served as a sharp divide between the 1940s and Tower story of Sunset Boulevard into the 1990s Aerosmith story of Rockin.  Indeed, given that Rockin' was set down into its own vast courtyard with its own bathrooms, food stand, and souvenir kiosks, it was almost like a pocket mini-land with its own tone.  Whoever planned the placement of Rockin' seems to have recognized the theme discontinuity and wished to preserve the careful theme of the existing land, and thus made sure that the continuity was handled with as much subtlety and grace as possible.

Yes, I just used "subtlety and grace" to describe an attraction that features Steven Tyler in a giant hat and has a building-sized Fender Stratocaster on its facade.

A portal to the 1990s, July 2017

June 2017

Ironically enough, in the mini-land of Rockin' the only discontinuity came from the Tower itself.  I don't have any confirmed story explanations for this, and I'm willing to write it off as unfortunately unavoidable because Tower was a very tall building (the Florida version was 199 feet tall) and thus difficult to prevent from invading any nearby sight line.

Two of my favorite rides ever, June 2017

At the very least, Tower was still a Hollywood building and Rockin' took place in Hollywood, albeit in the 1990s rather than the 1940s.  It wasn't like, say, a random space fortress looming over an old Hollywood scene--the most significant discontinuity that Breakout caused.

The start of the Tower grounds proper was marked by two stone buildings that looked almost like they would mark the entrance to a castle.

Entry gates to the Tower grounds.  Note the trolley tracks in the cracked pavement.  June 2017.

The shorter stone building on the left (as one faced the Tower) was themed as a gardener's shed, having gardening tool props along one of its walls.  In reality, it served as an electronic fastpass kiosk where guests could add fastpasses to their wristbands or cards.  Before Disney implemented electronic fastpasses, the physical paper ticket dispensers were in this shed.  Unlike California and Paris, the fastpass machines were not themed to luggage; instead they were sort of rusty metal boxes.  The current kiosks seemed to be just standard electronic touch screen setups.

Due to this area being crowded because of the fastpass screens, I couldn't get a good shot of all the tools.  This one, which just shows the ladder and wheelbarrow, will have to do.  July 2017

A closer view of the left building. June 2017

Notably, the left building also had a large plaque on the front of it, which read, "Sunset Hills Estates  est. 1928."

June 2017

This plaque gives an in-universe name for the area, and the date matches the one on the "Mortimer and Co." stamp on the concrete.

The right side building was taller and had a cutout in the top similar to arrow turret windows from old castles.  Tucked in the front of this building was a set of restrooms.

June 2017

These stone structures seem to have been designed after the stone gates that marked the entrance to the Hollywoodland subdivision.  The "Sunset Hills" plaque also echoes the "Hollywoodland" bronze plaques on the real stone gates.

Much like the archway to Rock n' Roller Coaster, stepping through the portal formed by these buildings marked a distinct change in theme.  At this point, the bright, modern art deco aesthetic of the growing city disappeared.  From this point on, the design was almost entirely in an older gothic style, and the atmosphere was no longer a cheerful bustling town but creepy and overgrown with, as the Ghost Host might say, "an aura of foreboding."  The wall and tall planter at the entrance to the grounds forced guests to look upwards at the Tower, giving it an imposing feel.  Indeed, the effect was almost like having some sort of creepy castle on a hill, overlooking the oblivious town below.

To emphasize the separation, the background music changed from the Sunset Boulevard loop to the ghostly Exterior/Lobby loop that this attraction shared with its Californian and French counterparts.

June 2017

The standby wait time sign was right in the planter in front too.

June 2017

To reach the entrance of the queue, guests took the curving, slightly uphill road leading right.

June 2017

As guests rounded the curve, they might have noticed a green sign on the wall reading "Valet Parking.".  In reality, this denoted stroller parking.

July 2017 (Click to enlarge to see sign)

Sharp-eyed DCA and Paris Tower fans will note that this "Valet Parking" sign used a different font than their versions.  Indeed, the art deco Banhof Regular font that was ubiquitous at the DCA and Paris Towers was entirely missing from Florida's version.

In general, Florida's Tower and grounds had a distinctly gothic design to them that sharply divided the dead hotel from the living, distinctly art deco city.  The gothic styling also brought to mind old castles, or perhaps old buildings in general, especially haunted ones (see also: Walt Disney World's facade for the Haunted Mansion), while art deco was vibrant, new, and evoked a more modern feel.  The different architecture of these areas suggested a timeline for the story.

At this point, the path split.  Ahead, guests could go straight into the gift shop courtyard--a convenient shortcut for party members who didn't wish to ride the attraction.  To the left, however, stood the entry gates to the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

June 2017

The gates had several notable details about them.

First of all, the "Hollywood Tower Hotel" sign that sat atop a fountain at DCA and Paris sat atop a planter-like structure full of rocks on the right side of the entryway.  Compared to the grand fountain setup at California Adventure, this setup seemed a lot smaller.  The height of the structure it sat on meant that people often sat on and obscured the sign.  The sign was set into an almost tombstone-like structure, with the HTH crest above the sign.  Of course, like the other versions of the sign, lights would twinkle and eventually illuminate the words "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror."

Here's a video of the sign in action, taken by me. (Link is to Google Drive, since Blogger said the file was too large to embed)

Second was the gates themselves.  They were large black iron gates that opened down the middle.  There were spikes along the top, and at the top of the arch was the HTH crest.  Notably, Florida used a unique version of the HTH symbol.  The Florida version had "HTH" set in a shield flanked by two dragons and with a crown on top of it, while the California/Paris version used just the "HTH" set in the shield.  The different versions of the crest suited the different architectural designs.

The third notable detail about the gates were two plaques set high on the two columns that bordered the gates.  These plaques read "The Hollywood Tower Hotel established 1917."  This dated the Florida version of the hotel as being twelve years older (in-story) than both the DCA/Paris hotel and the actual Hollywood Tower Hotel that lent its name to the ride.  This age difference was reinforced by giving the two different versions different architecture.

June 2017

The hotel being established in 1917 added another layer to the timeline of Sunset Boulevard's story...and also caused a continuity error with that billboard at the start of the street.  The concrete stamp and the Sunset Hills sign both gave dates of 1928 for major construction in the "city" section of the land, meaning they were newer than the hotel.  This contributed to the street and Tower feeling almost like an adaptation of an "old haunted castle looming over a hopeful new town" fairytale-type setting.  However, that billboard called the hotel the city's newest attraction, directly contradicting the other dates in the area.  I don't have a way to explain that, other than development error.

The gate had two halves for entry: left for standby, right for fastpass.  A warning sign listing a description of the ride and relevant health warnings stood in between the two entries.  To the right of the fastpass entry, in front of the right side entry column, was a podium with an HTH logo where a bellhop cast member stood in case anyone had trouble with their fastpasses.  Two electronic fastpass scanning stations stood on either side of the fastpass entryway, and guests had to touch either their wristband or entry ticket to the station before entering.

Fastpass touch point, with cast member podium behind it.  June 2017.

If the fastpass was at a valid time, the Mickey logo on the station would light up green.  If the time was a little early, it flashed blue.  If it was invalid, it was red.  While idle, the Mickey logo and the circle around it glowed white.

On the standby side of the gates (on the part of the gate itself that opened) was yet another significant sign.

June 2017

It read:

KEEP OUT!

The Management at this Hotel Assumes No Responsibility for your safety!

This Facility is Closed until Further Notice

October 31, 1939

The black text on the sign was extremely weathered, nearly to the point of illegibility.  The date, however, was clear enough to read, and provided a date for the setting of the Tower's events.  This date sign was much more obvious for guests than the subtle newspaper date that DCA and Paris provided.

Naturally, regardless of which side of the queue they used, guests ignored the sign, and made their way into the hotel gardens.